G321 - Readership Profiles

Rock Sound 

The core target audience for Rock Sound are people aged 15-24, although only 55% of this audience are within the age range. Roughly 77% of the buyers being female.With their widespread audience online, following them on social media sites, their target audience are fairly up to date with technology and our first world society.
The audience spend roughly £250 million a year on music and attending gigs. On top of this, Rock Sound readers spend £245 million a year on fashion. This would mean that their families would probably fall into the ABC1 demographics.
85% of Rock Sound readers use the magazine to discover new music and trends, and finally 52% of readers follow Rock Sound across its print, web and social network platforms, and 82% across at least 2 of these.





10 products that could be found advertised within Rock Sound would be:

1. Band t-shirts
2. Albums and CDs
3. Tour tickets
4. Band Merchandise, e.g. wristbands, posters, stickers etc.
5. Subscriptions to the magazine
6. Phone screensavers and ringtones
7. Games, e.g. PS4, Xbox One 
8. Music festivals
9. Accessories, e.g. watches
10. Adventure day outs

The magazine appeals to their target audience by advertising their social media accounts on the front, competitions for meet and greets and/or technology e.g. iPhones, laptops, tablets etc. The artists featured on the front cover also make the magazine appealing to their target audience as they're always within the same genre of music, e.g. 30 Seconds to Mars, Fall Out Boy and All Time Low are all similar musicians but with different styles of music, so it always roughly stays the same. On top of this, the layout of the cover is simple and doesn't have too much to look at; the feature of the article is in a different colour to the rest of the magazine so it's obvious to the readers who and what is going on in the issue.

Kerrang!

The age range for Kerrang! is a lot more varied than it is for Rock Sound.

56.1% are aged 15-24, while 21.5% are aged 25-34. 13.4% are aged 35-44 and 7.1% are aged 45-54 and finally 1.9% are 55+.

Throughout all this, 54.7% are male whereas the other 45.3% are female.

Readers of Kerrang! are 5.5 times more likely to go to a concert as well as them being 8 times more likely to spend over £200 a year on clothing (individually).

Their family demographics would most likely fall into the ones of Rock Sound readers, ABC1 due to individual readers being able to afford relevant things such as concert tickets, albums, merchandise etc.



10 products that could be found in Kerrang! Magazine would be:

1. Films
2. Games
3. Technology, e.g. phones, laptops
4. Concert Tickets
5. Band Merchandise
6. Festivals
7. Tours
8. Subscriptions e.g. to the magazine
9. Instruments
10. T-Shirts and Hoodies

Kerrang! appeals to it's target audience in a similar way to Rock Sound as they advertise roughly the same music genres continuously. This reassures the readers that the genre of their magazine will never change and that all the artists featured will be ones which they will like. On top of this, Kerrang! puts things such as competitions, giveaway's and free posters, CD's etc. to make the reader want to buy and read the magazine. As 56% of the audience and their core target audience are aged 15-24, Kerrang! are making their magazine for them, so this would include informal language, bright colours and generally a loud cover.

Top of the Pops

For the Top of the Pops magazine, the age range is very different in comparison to Kerrang! and Rock Sound. Their age range is a lot less varied, with their target audience aged 11-15 years old. This would have a large impact on the layout, colours, font and artists featured.

As the readers are 82% girls and 18% boys, the magazine cover has bright colours with girly fonts and content. For example, on the cover above, the colours are mainly blue, pink and yellow with a white background for the main artist. These bright and poppy colours generally appeal to young teenage/preteen girls as it attracts their attention. 

The front cover content is mainly pop-culture artists such as Ariana Grande, One Direction and Justin Bieber etc. boy bands and idolised figures in that industry. This makes fans of all these artists want to read the magazine and know more about their favourite musician.

10 products which would be found advertised in this magazine:

1. Make-up
2. Perfume
3. Clothing
4. Accessories
5. Albums, e.g. One Direction
6. Shampoos
7. Merchandise
8. Well-known UK clothing brands, e.g. H&M
9. Movies
10. TV shows

Top of the Pops appeals to it's 11-15 year old target audience by putting things on the front cover which would attract their attention, e.g. Ariana Grande. By advertising her feature in this article, fans of her across the country will want to read the interview, pull out the posters and so on. They'd also want to follow any sort of social and/or fashion advice she has to say to her fans. Top of the Pops would appeal to their target audience as they'd always have some form of advice to tell their young followers, e.g. 'Be Yourself' - the encouragement that certain things in their culture is okay. Top of the Pops also attracts an audience by putting well-known icons on their covers, such as Justin Bieber, Joey Essex etc. - people who girls find visibly attractive. Although some of the people aren't in the music industry, it is predominantly a music magazine for preteens with artists with mass followers.

Preliminary Project - Evaluation

The final version of my magazine cover follows the typical conventions of a magazine as it follows a particular theme, including the colours of the font and the model's corresponding outfit. The headings are a slightly larger font than the summaries so they're easily identifiable as titles and are also a different colour so the readers know where the titles stops and the summaries start. It's also rather tidy, with the headings neatly in line with each other and on either side of the page so that there isn't too much on one side. Another convention which I followed was including a bar code in the bottom right corner, and what issue the magazine is, along with the date of the article. These little things make the big picture look more realistic, and more like a professional magazine. A final convention which I followed with my magazine cover were the subtitles - they're short and snappy yet put across what the magazine is about and what sort of features the readers will be able to find in it. They've mentioned most things which students tend to worry and care about, e.g. revision tips, whether or not you've made the right choice, alternatives to university, etc. so it would be appealing to my target audience.

General conventions which I used with my magazine cover follow as:

• A big, eye-catching title
• A picture which is relevant to the theme of the magazine
• Several subtitles with brief summaries of what the issue will include, e.g. tips and advice
• The subtitles surround the picture so it doesn't completely block out what the main focus is
• A bar code
• An issue number and date
• A competition to attract readers

 

The thinking behind these design choices was that the model herself is the age of the target audience, so if they see this in a shop, they might find comfort in knowing that they're not alone in their worries. Then, with the pose that she's pulling, it shows her looking through her notes at her school, so it's a casual everyday thing for most students at the same level as her. Furthermore, the colour of the font indirectly matches her clothing, so it shows a theme going on in the picture. This also means that there aren't too many colours splashed about on the page, so it's not in-your-face, but it's still eye-catching.  The bar code is placed in the bottom right, as opposed to 'on the back' to fill the empty gap which was beneath the titles. It also makes the magazine itself look more realistic and professional as it's a common convention amongst popular magazines to have the bar code on the front.

I think I was effective with my time management - I didn't leave the photography too late, so I had enough time to make several drafts and decide which was best. With my research, I think I gathered enough to get a grasp of who my target audience is, what they'd want from a college/sixth form magazine and what direction to take it in. When I work on my main coursework portfolio, I'll have to plan my time carefully so that I don't spend too much time on one element, e.g. researching, but not enough time on another element of it, e.g. the editing of my photos and putting it all together. 

During the working of my main coursework portfolio, there are multiple things which I will improve on, such as the quality of the photos, the theme of the magazine and knowing exactly (or roughly) what I want my end product to look like. Without an aim, I don't know where to start for my photography, which is an inefficient way of planning and going through with my coursework. So for next time, I will make several real mock-ups so I have a general idea of what to achieve.  

Overall, I think my finished page was rather successful as it follows the conventions of a magazine without looking over-done. The contrasting colours of the background with the font makes it easy to read the writing without too much of a struggle as well as it matching both the name of the magazine and what she's wearing. As well as this, the quality of the photo is quite good; it's not perfect as it wasn't taken professionally with the correct equipment, but it's not so bad that the picture isn't blurry and unrecognisable - this is something which will be improved on when it comes to my main coursework portfolio.

Preliminary Project - The Process

This was the beginning of my first draft prior to the mock up. As the picture didn't fit the A4 page, I wasn't sure whether or not the picture would be appropriate as I would have had to stretch it out and so the quality of the photo was decrease. I kept the font the same but got rid of the ellipsis as it made the idea of the magazine seem questioning rather than a statement.

This is the second draft of my magazine cover, which shows the adaptation of not having a full-size photo - instead of stretching it and making the whole thing look unprofessional, I put a navy bar down the side with the name of the magazine on top of it. Then, I added the headings and summaries of the feature articles, but found that the colours clashed with the background. This made it difficult to read them at all, which would be off-putting to my target audience. On top of this, all of the subtitles looked messy and unorganised, so I decided to not use the picture at all.

I chose the picture for my next draft and found that the colours of the background were roughly the same, so that got rid of the issue of not being able to read the headings clearly. Then, I swapped the colours of the titles round so instead of it being dark on the inside, it's dark on the outside. This makes it stand out against the bright sky and generally makes the entire article look more professional. But, there was a random heading - the Time and Stress Management tips - which stood out and made the page look messy, as well as the two headings on the bottom left corner weren't in line.

Preliminary Project - Final Version

This is the final version of my magazine. I chose this because the model is the right age for the selected target audience, so it reflects who the magazine is aimed at. She's clearly at the same stage, or has been in the stage of some of the 15 to 19 year old target audience, so it's not too far out of their comfort zone. It's also more appealing to the target audience as she's not an intimidating model whose covered in make up and pretending to be someone they're not - students can relate to her as they're all roughly at the same point.

As well as this, the subtitles are clearly organised into two sections, are all in line with each other and follow the same colour scheme. This makes the cover look professional and appealing. It also includes what issue it is, the date and a bar code - these are common conventions on magazine covers, so it makes it look more realistic.

Preliminary Project - Draft 3

This is the improved cover of Draft 2. I moved the management tips heading to the right hand side, so it's in line with the other headings. Now it looks more organised than before. Then, I adjusted the headings on the left hand side so that they're in line with each other. Before I had done this, the 'Competition' heading had been centered and therefore looked out of place, but now it's more to the left side of the page, so it's not as sloppy and messy as before.

The only problem I face now is whether or not to fill the gap above the subtitles on the left hand side. If I do, there might be too much on the page and it'll be too cluttered and overwhelming for the target audience, whereas if I leave it, it looks too empty. To be on the safe side, I'll leave it as it is.

Preliminary Project - Draft 2

This is the second draft of my magazine cover. This version shows a student looking through her notes while sitting outside in an unknown location, but would be assumed as her school. This would appeal to my target audience as she's roughly the age of the target audience, which they might find comforting. She's also at the same stage of her education, so they might feel like they can relate to her.

I prefer this cover to Draft 1 as the headings are more organised, despite the Time Management and Stress Management tips, which I will move to a better place on the page. The colours are more neutral and so it was generally a lot easier to use colours which wouldn't make the readers struggle to read it. Along with this, the contrasting colours of the text against the background, but the similar colours of her clothing make the cover look slightly more professional than Draft 1.

Things which I could improve on would be the management tips heading, as it looks out of place with the rest of the headings. As well as this, the subtitles on the bottom left hand side aren't in line and look disorganised and untidy, unlike the subtitles on the top right hand side.

Preliminary Project - Draft 1

This is the first draft of my magazine cover, which shows two students looking through a workbook together. I chose this picture because it looks natural, as if they're not posing for the picture (which they weren't at the time). I caught the picture in the moment, which makes it a bit better then the posed ones. On top of this, the models are within the ages of the target audience, so it's more comforting for the audience to look at it, rather then an intimidating model.

Prior to the first mock-up, the font is darker and the only navy part of the cover is the bar down the side. The font beneath the subtitles had to be darker, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to read the text easily.

The name of the magazine is down the side as it fits the picture nicer than it would have done if the bar had been along the top. If I had put the bar along the top, it would have covered the face of the top model and ruined the whole image.

Overall, I'm not going to use this draft for my project as it doesn't look very professional and the writing is difficult to read; with the different variety of colours in the picture, I struggled with finding a suitable colour to match the theme. The layout of the headings looks a bit sloppy as there's no organisation to it, and this was due to the background colours.

Preliminary Project - Feature Articles on Front Page

On the cover of 'The Next Step' will be various subtitles to attract the readers, along with a one-line information sentence. This is in order to inform the students what sort of relatable topics will be written about inside, so they can decide whether or not to read about it. I asked 20 different students what sort of titles they'd like to see on a magazine cover for them, and these were the most common:

• Fashion adivce
• Alternatives to Uni
• Advice for uni
• Apprenticeships
• Career advice
• Whether or not their course is for them at A-Level or College
• Exam stress - time management, when to and not to relax, revision tips etc.

As a result of this, my magazine will include some of the following titles:

• Revision Do's and Don'ts
• How To Manage Your Time
• Have You Found The Right Course?
• Dr. Green of Oxford shares his career's advice
• Apprenticeship Madness - what do you want?
• Alternatives to Uni 
• Fashion Tips and Staying Social

I have picked these as there are a wide variety of different subjects which students can choose from, all which are daily thoughts and/or struggles for students, for example, alternatives to university- not every student wants to go, and there aren't any obvious alternatives for them, besides full-time employment. This will reassure the students that there's something bringing attention to topics such as this.

I included 'advice' from a 'university professor' on the front page as it gives off the impression that the magazine has hold of professional advice from experienced names, hence Oxford University. Students trust top universities such as Oxford, Cambridge etc. and so this would interest and reassure the readers that the advice they're reading isn't made-up or ineffective towards their education and revision.

Students tend to worry most about exams and everything that comes with it - revision, stress management, how to manage your time effectively, etc. so with the familiar thoughts on the front cover of a college/sixth form magazine, they'd know that they're not alone and want to read more about how to overcome these obstacles. 

Preliminary Project - Rough Draft

This is roughly what my magazine cover is going to look like, when it's finished. Some obvious changes have been made, such as the font for the subheadings. I decided to change it to a slightly chunkier font as it's easier to read when looking at it. It also creates a slightly more professional look to the page, as most popular magazines go for this technique. On top of this, the header for the fonts and the summaries are different colours so that the audience knows where the title stops and the information starts. The different colours make the page easier to look at and easier to read, so altogether the colour scheme stays roughly the same.

The triangle down the center represents where my pictures will be and is currently there so I know where about to put my headlines - surrounding the picture. Some of the words will overlap onto the main picture, but to show the importance of the focus. The more important titles are in a larger font as they supposed to be the more serious issues discussed in the magazine, e.g. staying in a healthy relationship.

Then, I removed the slogan, "What now?" as I thought it was too patronising and bold to put on the front cover of a school/college magazine. It could also be quite distressing as some students aren't too sure what to do and having that sort of pressure on the front page of a magazine would make their situation worse. So, instead of thinking of a new one, I decided to leave it out. Not only that, but the entire page itself looks a lot tidier than before.

Preliminary Project - Magazine Design 2

These are a variety of the different fonts I tried out for my title, The Next Step. I chose these as they look the most professional and likely to be seen on the front page of a magazine. Other, less mature fonts seemed too childish for such an important part of the target audience's life, so these ones are the final few.

I chose to use the bottom font as it looks professional but also slightly casual and welcoming to 15-19 year olds. Other magazines have used this technique, where the lighter colour goes on top of the darker background for a contrasting effect. This is shown in the example magazine, where the yellow title stands out against the black background.

This is roughly what the front page would look like, without the picture and subheadings. It's the base of the front page and will have a picture of a teenage girl holding her folder and looking down the camera. I haven't yet decided if she'll be laughing or looking serious, as one could represent the reality of the tough life decisions while another could reassure the audience that everything will be alright. On top of this, the teenager will be within the target age group, so it's more inviting to the readers.

Subheadings in the same font as the strap line/slogan will surround the picture as it's the main focus, and again will be easy to read due to it's contrasting background.